07 January 2019

Mr Boardman’s Bamboozle or Boo-boo?

George Rebane

Intrepid leftwing columnist at The Union, George Boardman, is either trying to bamboozle the lightly-read reader, or was just a bit fast and loose on the keyboard in his 7jan19 submittal to the newspaper. In his commentary ‘Don’t Expect Reality to Intrude on Trump’s Argument for a Border Wall’, Mr Boardman launches into a sonorous if not somnambulant recounting of the debate about how to secure our southern border. He repeats the new shibboleths about whether it should really be a solid concrete wall or some other form of possible physical barrier “to cut-off the hordes of illegal immigrants poring(sic) across the border to take good-paying American jobs, commit numerous crimes, and turn our fair country into an outpost of lawlessness.” Well, he almost got that list right – nobody is worried about our country becoming “an outpost of lawlessness”, just illegals committing the reported numerous crimes and costing a bundle to hunt and house them in our prisons.

But his main argument for ignoring the tens of thousands pouring across our southern border is that they don’t number as many as those who enter the US legally with visas and then overstay. Boardman quotes the legal entrant overstays for 2016 at 628,799, while the illegal entrants in 2016 number only 170,000. Countering this, the US Customs and Border Protection arm of the Dept of Homeland Security post the more realistic 553,378 who were apprehended in 2016 (more here). The number escaping apprehension is unknown, but reasonable estimates place it in the same range as the apprehensions. And with the advent of the recent mass migrations, this number has increased significantly based on 102,857 apprehensions last year (2018) reported during October and November – the annualized number for this comes to over 600,000. Again, we don’t know all of those illegals who got through our overwhelmed border security personnel. The illegals who overstayed their visas in 2017 number 702,000 according to the DHS. And yes, about half of the illegal aliens in the country today entered legally and overstayed their visas.

From his version of such statistics Mr Boardman concludes with the simple red herring that “If you really want to stop illegal immigration, a wall is not the solution.” Nobody has maintained that any southern border barrier will stop all illegal aliens from settling in America. But can his readers see through this little bit of legerdemain? Nor does our columnist tell us that those entering legally with visas and those crawling through border barriers comprise two distinct cohorts of illegals. Our immigration and border security people were able to vet those to whom we issued visas. We know that they weren’t the obvious drug runners, human traffickers, unaccompanied minors, wanted criminals, terrorists, … . Those coming in across the southern border (sometimes multiple times) do not submit to such examination, and there are enough of them to be of concern to reasonable law-abiding Americans who are not racists, xenophobes, or even nationalists. (more here)

After having convinced his readers that our porous southern border is not a concern, he does a subtle shift to put a cherry on that argument by citing all the benefits to the American economy and workforce contributed by immigrants who make up more than one sixth of our workforce and almost three fourths of our tech workers, many of whom are entrepreneurs starting new companies that grow our economy and maintain our leadership in the world of innovation and commerce. (I also belong to that cohort.) Well yes, but all of these people came in legally and are not the under-educated poor illegal entrants from, well, you know, what our fearless leader correctly called "shithole countries". That subtle semantical pirouette of naming all foreign-born in America as ‘immigrants’, regardless of their mode of entry and legal status, continues to support the bamboozle our Left is successfully dispensing in today’s media. Everyone is an immigrant, and since we are a nation of immigrants, therefore we must let all immigrants enter and succor their needs. To do otherwise is heartless and un-American, capice? (more here and here)

But in the final analysis Mr Boardman is a loyal liberal just soldiering on, polishing the progressive narrative to make it more palatable to the residents of these hinterlands. (Just to be clear, I too am guilty of doing my part to purvey the conservetarian worldview, hopefully with better numbers and reasoning.)

PS. Just to pile on, in this scurrilous piece of journalism, Mr Boardman also throws in some red meat for the alt-Left: Because in its op-ed the WSJ deigned to propose a solution to the government shutdown negotiations, our columnist asks, "Who said the fake news media doesn't have any clout in this country?" (emphasis mine)

Comments

Mr. Trump is either trying to bamboozle the lightly-read reader, or was just a bit fast and loose with his mouth. President Carter just weighed in and assured us he did not speak with Trump about any wall nor does he support it. That makes 100% of the living presidents call Trump's claim that they agreed with him and discussed the wall with him, a flat out lie. If Boardman is being bashed for conflating the Truth, why do Trump's blatant lies to our nation not cause your ill will?

PaulW 159pm - They do Mr Wilson, they do. But I'm not fixated on bringing down his administration, and am more focused on the impact of his tax policy, regulation reduction, GDP growth, employment and workforce record (especially for the minorities), re-establishing America's hegemony, trade relations with China, immigration reform, border security, ...

And you've missed all the times that I have lamented about his untimely bouts with foot-in-mouth disease. Admittedly, it's a bitch attempting to support the only game in town that opposes our Left's plans to make America into the world's largest shithole country. But then, we may also disagree on that.

In all of this I notice that the good folks decrying the wall (fence, beaded curtain, whatever) have not once offered any sort of proposal as to just how we stop the illegal entry into our country of the millions of law-breakers.
This whole bit of business is just stupid and sad. California's new gov just announced that he offers “sanctuary to all who seek it”. No limits were mentioned. Brown is on record stating that 'everyone' is welcome in California.
I have asked before and will ask again - What laws can I openly break and thereby be rewarded for by the govt?
Trump or no, this all leads to bloodshed - history has sadly shown this to be true.

Scott. From what I see and hear, you just need to have a criminal record already. Then you can keep breaking laws..Well Here in Ca. at least.
Somehow become an illegal.. Get stopped for no insurance? NO PROBLEM.. The cops can't take your car like if you were a real citizen. Never show up to court. Eventually they will give up trying. Problem solved.
Don't rip off a gun worth over 800 bucks. You won't even go to jail.
HELL! You can go on a shooting spree and be only charged with the first shooting. Everything after that is fine.
It down to one charge for the same multiple offence.

The cops don't even seem to be looking for the guy that shot someone up in Dougy's part of the county.

All those illegals Boardman wants to let in are going to be disappointed as the job they are seeking dry up as automation takes over simple repetitive tasks. Recent research by McKinsey and Company found that the primary driver of workforce transformation would be the displacement of jobs due to automation. After reviewing 800 occupations, McKinsey estimated that at least one-third of work activities by 2030 could be automated in 60 percent of occupations. A 2013 study out of Oxford University predicted about 47 percent of U.S. employment is at risk due to these technologies.

So, what are we doing to do with all these uneducated labors and their families? There will not be any work, and there will be millions of US citizens out of work also, the clash will be historic as these two cohorts compete for the limited number of available jobs.

I would be interested in the solutions posed by lefty readers. What are we going to do will all this surplus uneducated labor?

I'm reposting and adding to it, because this controversy is just that...stupidity to divide and destroy America. Media (like CNN) reports that three former Democrat presidents and one (rhino) Republican president (Carter/Clinton/ Bush/Obama) don't agree with Trumps claim they support the wall. Carter might be senile but all obviously contributed to the problem during their terms, and at times talked another way (when convenient) while supporting the new world order contrary to our Constitution and their sworn oaths to uphold it. There's more regarding the hypocrisy, but it's a waste of time with those supporting a well financed agenda and their mindless tax paying followers.
The entire discussion regarding a wall for control and protection is amazing when you look at the ignorance of those against it. The ones against it are also against the 2nd Amendment...so they're against anyone (including themselves) having protection from predators. The wall will cost very little compared to the money being spent all over the world to protect and help other countries. Also compared to what the flood of illegals is costing us.
I remember when we travelled into Mexico many years ago...most residentals, and overnight campgrounds had a wall around the settlement. The top of the walls had sharp glass to keep unwelcome people out. Mexico is in charge of its border and could stop the invasion where it starts at its southern border. If not...then let them deal with the illegals on their side where the problem originates. Not very nice neighbors shoving the blame, expense and their policy problem onto us. But obviously that's how America will be brought down...along with our freedom.
Our politicians supporting Mexico's behavior aren't to be trusted to represent Americans who pay them and our "alleged homeland security" they're against. Build the wall and we'll see how much money will be saved, and criminal activity eliminated just like it helped both sides below San Diego.

Russ - "All those illegals Boardman wants to let in are going to be disappointed as the job they are seeking dry up as automation takes over simple repetitive tasks."
and
"I would be interested in the solutions posed by lefty readers. What are we going to do will all this surplus uneducated labor?"
To the first statement I would say it won't really matter to most of them.
To the second statement I would say the left and the right already have advanced the idea of a govt handed out 'wage' ie 'free money to live on'.
Apparently there is a strong belief system that has endured through the ages that money is just a manufactured abstract that can be conjured up from thin air and good intentions.
That idea has failed every time but the current batch of smarties knows they'll do it right this time.
I wish them well or at least I wish them to be at the front lines when the mobs take over.

Bonnie - 7:28 "The top of the walls had sharp glass to keep unwelcome people out."
When we visited our friends living in Mexico the husband remarked that he could tell if an ex-pat Americano lived in a particular casa or a native.
The ex-pat's house just had a wall around it but the native's had broken glass mortared on top of the wall. (some even had concertina wire)
And he was a die hard leftie Clinton fan!

Mr. Russ. I'm sure you have heard of the vacuum cleaner robots for the house.
Want to make a million and put a dent in the illegal job market at the same time?
Take that same robotic tech, and apply it to a lawn mower. Add GPS, and that one mower can hop from front yard to front yard all on it's own A few of them, and one guy can do the whole block in no time.

I agree completely with you on the effect of automation. Just imagine the increased pressure on the borders as those jobs also dry up in the Third World. It won't be just manufacturing (obviously) but call centers, offshored legal/medical work, etc.

Inviting everyone onto the lifeboat will result in disaster, it's as plain as the nose on your face.

I'm afraid that the Blue Mob simply doesn't give a rip, as the care and feeding of humanity generally is just as important (or more so) as seeing to your fellow citizens. It begs the question of why I in turn should feel a sense of community and sympathy for our Blue Mob members. Caring for everyone means caring for no one. Bellum omnium contra omnes.

"So, what are we doing to do with all these uneducated labors and their families?"

Here's some reality about the border wall that you probably wern't expecting.

Trump’s eminent domain of ranches will be worse than the Bundy standoffs: ‘Absolute revolution at the border’

"Johnson suggested that attempting to seize the land from Texas border ranchers would create a worse crisis than the Bundy clan standoffs with the federal government

“The kind of lawsuits that are going to come from trying to build this wall, the eminent domain fights, you thought the Bundy ranch was bad? You will have an absolute revolution at the border if the president tries to get this done,” he predicted.

“Republicans in Texas, in Arizona, they know that, and they’re privately trying to tell the president — or at least Mitch McConnell — you’ve got to get him away from this, we can’t take this kind of fight,” he added.

Paul 12:23 - There were no quotes or information from any ranchers. Just the biased opinion of one Trump hater. Most all of the folks living along the border are screaming for security. They have to put up with a reality you have no idea of.
BTW - despite the news of chaos at TSA lines at the airport, my gorgeous wife and I just came through security at DFW in about 5 minutes.
Your results may vary.

The RawStory Punchy shared at 1233am is as expected... from the progressive fabulists at RawStory.

As Scott O notes, no quotes from anyone saying, in essence, they can have my land next to the Mexico border when they pry my cold, dead fingers from the fenceposts. I suspect rather than taking potshots at Fed contractors, they'll be hosting keggers for them after the workdays are over.

From my own experience and those of friends living close to the southern border, there is no doubt that residents there will indeed welcome the wall builders by "hosting keggers for them after the workdays are over."

I have been harassed incessantly by a sock puppet calling itself "corna diddily" on the Union comments. It named itself a latin term for "bonehead" or "horny" depending on where you read. And the Union allows this.